When’s the last time you unplugged? Really, truly, off the grid for more than one day, no wifi, no cell reception, unplugged?
It had been a while for me, too. Ever since my family got wifi at our cabin, we don’t really “unplug” anymore. I work from the barstool in the log-walled kitchen. My 12-year-old cousin scrolls Pinterest on the futon. My grandparents play Words With Friends with each from their recliners instead of playing with the real Scrabble board gathering dust under the couch. We don’t live outside like we used to.
The thing is, it feels difficult to disconnect these days. Our brains crave distraction, our friendships extend into apps, our work is tied to email, to social sharing, to always being reachable. It’s easy to go months, even years, without truly unplugging.
When Bobbilee Hartman first set out to plan Lodged Out – a retreat series for makers, where creatives collaborate and connect at lodges, camps, and lakeside cabins – one of the first things she knew was that the retreats would be unplugged.